With the ballot now set for the lieutenant governor’s race, Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski tacked on a few more endorsements just for good measure.
Koplinski received the support of the United Mine Workers of America Local 1520 as well as the Democratic Committees of Chester, Monroe, Perry and Warren Counties.
In regards to the endorsement, the Local 1520 President Bill Richardson said, “Mr, Koplinski understands the needs of working men and women. He has shown this by his own membership in unions and by his work in Harrisburg. Brad will stand up for Labor as Lt. Governor.”
As Richardson alludes to, Koplinski himself was a union member himself twice. As a teenager, he was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and he also joined the National Treasury Employees Union during his stint as an attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel at the IRS.
“I appreciate the support of UMWA Local 1520,” Koplinski said. “They have fought for years for good wages and good conditions for their workers. I am proud that they will be fighting for me.”
Koplinski adds the endorsement of the Local 1520 to an already respectable list of union endorsements. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 143, Laborers International Union Local 1180 and the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3145 all threw their support behind Koplinski earlier last month. Koplinski also recently received the support of Young Democrats.
The Harrisburg City Councilman faces former Congressman Mark Critz, Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith, State Senator Mike Stack, and State Rep. Brandon Neuman in the Democratic primary in May.
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3 Responses
Here is how I see this race for Lt Gov playing out. Stack getting the Philly vote and Philly will be a low turn out as shown my past history. Critz will come in second in Philly area with his contacts being a Congressman. Kolpinski will be taking the Harrisburg area. Smith will take the North central area where there are not alot of votes. Neuman will get votes out of Washington county and a few votes in the SW area with him only having 3 years experience as a state rep. and no name recognition. With Paterno out of the race Critz will take the Northwest and into Central Pa. The Southwest will be won by Critz big with his name recognition and having 8 million dollars spent on his Congressional his name ID is high in the western part of Pa and the Altoona area. Critz wins this race.
The Democratic Lt Gov race really looks like it is going to come down to the majority of the voters on May 20th see a slate of names and trying to figure out what name they recognize. Philly voters will recognize Stack, voters between Johnstown, Altoona and areas east of Pittsburgh will recognize Critz, Neumann will be recognized in Pittsburgh and the SW corner counties, Mark Smith might pull a few votes statewide because his name is Smith and Koplinski is known in the Harrisburg area. When it come down to it, based on the above, I think Stack or Neumann will pull out a close race with Critz and Koplinski close behind. If Wolf is the Gov candidate, then Neumann could be the best to balance the ticket – young and from the west.
Mike Stack will emerge as the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor on May 20th.